Characters/Pairings. Rose Weasley x Scorpius Malfoy

Disclaimer: the Harry Potter series © J.K. Rowling

One Drink Too Many

By sakuracherish814

Her head was killing her. The throbbing seemed to be increasing with every freaking second and getting impossibly worse. The loud music didn't help one bit, nor did the students who were dancing (and, well, freaking) on the makeshift Great Hall dance floor, nor did the fact she'd been unconsciously aware that every single drink she'd taken had been so… well… addicting.

Honestly, she would swear on her family's graves that she was unaware of the alcohol in the drinks; it was supposed to be a "supervised" party, as announced to the parents by the professors themselves, but she should've assumed that the many teenagers in one room would find a way to get around it. Also, she hadn't seen any professors in sight since evening, and it was now past midnight. Damn, how did Hugo manage to convince her into coming?

And, to add the cherry on top, her outfit for the evening (that Victoire had bought and mailed to her and Roxanne insisted she wear) didn't help.

Though strapless and short-skirted, she couldn't help but feel that her exposed skin just grew hotter against the thick air. And the dress was silk, so the damn thing couldn't breathe, and she felt quite sweaty and sticky underneath it. Oh, and the four-inch-heels she'd danced in all night were the reason why her feet were throbbing almost as badly as her head. Lovely.

"Oh, hell, Rose."

It sounded as if Albus were whispering, though her comprehension seemed to be failing her at the moment.

He laid a hand on her bare shoulder, which felt as if he were pressing a lit torch to her skin, and she involuntarily cringed from the contact.

"Jeez, look at you," he seemed to be marveling. "Bloody hell…"

"Gosh, Al, that makes me feel a lot better," she crankily bit back, resting her forehead onto the table.

He chuckled very faintly. "Come on, let's get you into bed," he insisted.

"No, no, no," she groaned, "don't move me, my head's killing me!"

"You've got to lie down, though," he reminded.

"I won't be able to walk to my bed, or get changed," she reminded. "And you can't carry me up to the girls' dorm."

"Then I'll wait in the common room with you until Roxanne or Lily can come take you," he assured.

"Don't be so daft, Al, you're at a party, don't cut your time short just 'cause of me," she murmured against the table.

"I wouldn't be a very good cousin if I left you here in your state."

"I'll be fine, Al, I really just need time until my head settles down and then I promise I'll go straight up to bed," she insisted.

He opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it when he decided bickering with a Rose that practically had alcohol flowing through her system would only make matters worse. He sighed in defeat. "Fine. Just promise me you don't push yourself at all."

She'd been about to argue that she was a big girl and could take care of herself thank you very much, but found arguing to only aggravate her migraine.

So she just nodded.

She had a feeling he'd lingered there after her response before truly admitting defeat and leaving to rejoin his friends.

Just sitting there seemed to be an okay choice. On the up side, her migraine didn't get worse; but on the flip side, it didn't get better either. And her skin seemed to be burning up even more. And she wanted so desperately to get out of the ridiculous dress and heels and wipe herself with a damp towel and change into her comfy pajamas and just knock out in her warm bed. But that would require movement, which would be excruciatingly painful considering the state of her head.

And eventually, a few seconds or minutes or perhaps maybe hours (her comprehension of time seemed to be failing her) later she finally decided to go to bed.

She staggered rather pathetically from her table and managed to get herself out the double-doors without collapsing. That was a start.

The rush of cold air was instant relief, and she savored the feel of the chill shooting through her body, and the goose bumps rising on her exposed skin. She managed to stagger herself down the corridor with one hand braced against the rough stone walls, but when it came to the corner her head throbbed harder than before.

She stopped and pressed her back to the wall, throwing her hands over her head and groaning.

Her senses seemed to be going in and out. The music and chaos from within the Great Hall was ringing in her ear one moment and then very faintly in the background the next, and back to blasting her eardrums in another. Some limbs felt sore and tense, while others were limp; and the temperature seemed to dropping and rising within split seconds.

"Bloody hell, Weaslette, have you gone mental?" a voice asked her.

It sounded… so familiar. Damn her and her migraine.

She felt something slide over her shoulders. The material felt so familiar. Silk, perhaps? She couldn't quite tell.

As whoever was there handling her slid their hands across her skin, it felt very relaxing—they were just the right temperature in comparison to hers.

It was oddly pleasant for a moment, and she didn't bother putting any effort towards resistance as a hand slid on her back, another behind her knees, and she felt her whole world rush around her as she was scooped into muscular but lean arms. As they began walking, her hands fell limply on her stomach, and she felt the pins that kept her hair up come undone and fall to the floor, her deep scarlet hair cascading down shoulders. If anything, it was strange; her throbbing head didn't seem to be as much of a bother anymore.

"Merlin, what am I supposed to do with you?" the same voice asked, most likely to themselves, followed by an amused chuckle.

Rose's eyebrows pulled together, and her eyes fluttered open the slightest bit.

And that's when she knew she must've been imagining things.

"S…Scorpius?"

Apparently, she hadn't been asleep for very long. When she awoke, it was still very dark outside; the moon and stars still glowing brilliantly against their black canvas. Her head felt heavy, but not pounding; her body felt warm, but not feverish; and her sore limbs only ached a little as she shifted. Her dress was still on, though she felt that same silky material draped over her shoulders, but her heels were (thankfully) gone, and the pins were no longer tugging at her head. Oh yeah, the pins had fallen out when Scorpius was carrying her.

Scorpius…

Then she suddenly sat herself up; a move she would instantly regret.

Her hands flew to her head as it throbbed slightly again.

"What in bloody hell do you think you're doing?" that same voice from last night—Scorpius's voice—questioned her.

She felt a hand lightly press her shoulders, forcing her to lie back down, though she ignored him and didn't budge. Instead, she opened her eyes again and looked around. Red and gold everywhere, a crackling fireplace, couches… "We're in the…Gryffindor common room?" she asked, though as she continued to stare, she was absolutely sure they were there.

Scorpius nodded beside her. "Yeah, we are, now lie back down or else your headache will come back," he advised, once again applying light pressure to her shoulders.

She pushed away his hands stubbornly. "How'd you get us in? I was knocked out."

"With…a lot of persuasion to your dear portrait," he answered, exasperation now entering his tone. (She couldn't blame him; The Fat Lady was a force to be reckoned with.)

"And the party?"

"Still going on, I assume. It's only a little past midnight."

She groaned slightly, sitting herself up into a more comfortable position. Then she felt something slide off of her shoulders and onto her lap, and she found it to be Scorpius's blazer. He must've put it on her while when he carried her, and he'd removed her heels and placed them on the table as well.

He chuckled lightly. "Looks like someone's been having fun tonight. That's rare."

She glared and tossed his blazer at his face, which (of course) he easily caught, laughing again.

"I suggest you go up to bed and change while you're still conscious, unless you don't mind just lying on the couch," he advised. "I couldn't carry you up there."

"Boys aren't allowed into the girls' dormitory," she informed.

"Kind of figured that, but thanks anyway."

She sighed and shifted, swinging her legs over the side of the couch and getting up.

Perhaps, a little too quickly, for a wave of vertigo hit her and she would've collapsed to the floor had Scorpius not catch her.

He placed her back on the couch and forced her to lie down. "Never mind, just lie down before you collapse again," he said, voice light and teasing.

She chuckled faintly, her energy quickly leaving her. But she smiled up at him and softly said, "Thank you, Scorpius."

He shrugged nonchalantly and replied, "No problem," though he returned her smile.

Bringing her hands up to her forehead, she rubbed her temples lightly. She felt drained of all energy but wasn't necessarily tired just yet. Not when Scorpius was kneeling beside the couch, watching her. He kept his eyes on her warily, as if he felt he needed to be there to protect her or perhaps just to take care of her. But whatever it was, it was apparent he wasn't leaving some time soon.

"You know," he finally spoke after a few minutes of silence passed by, "you were such a tease tonight."

She blinked.

What had he just said?

"Wh-What…?" she asked sleepily.

He smirked at her. "You were such a tease," he drawled so she caught every word.

And she wasn't sure whether or not it was the alcohol or the sleepiness or just Scorpius himself, but she actually pouted. "But I wasn't doing anything," she protested.

"Oh, you never actually do anything," he informed, his smirk widening just a little. "But when you walked into the Great Hall earlier tonight in this"—he fingered the hem of her dress—"I kind of knew I wouldn't be able to focus on the party. And then, Merlin, you started dancing, and you drank until your cheeks were as red as your hair, and well, that's when I came dangerously close to losing my cool."

She giggled rather drunkenly, grasping his dress shirt between her fingertips and pulling him closer. "You've got it bad," she beamed.

He laughed as his hand traveled from the hem of her dress and up her side, applying the right amount of pressure. A smirk found its way back onto his lips as his tracing fingertips caused her to shiver, and her eyes fluttered closed as she let out a sigh.

"Hmmm," he murmured against ear, enticing more giggles from the drunken Gryffindor, "I guess I do."

Then suddenly she pushed his shoulders, taking him completely by surprise as she flipped herself over, causing the both of them to fall onto the ground.

Scorpius landed with a thud on his back, wincing slightly as his head hit the floor, and Rose fell over him with her knees on either side of his waist and her hands braced against the floor on either sides of his head. They remained like that, completely motionless, for a split second before reacting.

His eyes flickered open again, and he found himself unable to catch a breath. Rose's head was bent over, only inches from his, with her deep scarlet hair falling in bouncing curls around her face, the tips grazing his cheeks. She was smiling down at him with flushed cheeks, which he couldn't help but find innocent and deliciously tempting (especially when more giggles escaped her lips), and the hormonal teenage boy in him couldn't help but notice that her chest was pressed against his and he could see right down her dress.

"We'll get caught, you know," he finally got out once he found his voice again.

She giggled. "Let them catch us."

His voice lowered. "Your family will kill me."

Her hand crept up his chest and tangled itself into his hair. "I'll protect you."

And that's when he completely lost it.

Scorpius felt something, or rather someone, shift in bed beside him. He groaned softly, feeling the ache in his body as he began to stir. It was morning, or maybe even mid-morning. Sun rays seeped through the window and stung his eyes. His eyelashes fluttered open, squinting as his sight adjusted to the sudden brightness, and he wanted to pull the covers over his face.

Something nudged his shoulder, and he looked over at Rose, who was sitting up with her head tilted against the wall as she angled a smile down at him.

"…Rose?"

Rose and Scorpius froze for a moment, and Rose whipped her head around.

Then she breathed a sigh of relief at who it was. "Lily," she exhaled, "don't scare me like that."

But Lily was beyond words at the moment as she stared past Rose with widened eyes.

"G'morning Potter." Scorpius greeted.

Lily didn't move for a few more minutes. By the looks of it, she hadn't woken up too long ago. Her dress was creased all over and turned at a wrong angle, her heels were off of her feet and dangling in her hand, her hair looked a little mussed up, and one of her cheeks was redder than the other (as if she'd spend her night sleeping with her face pressed against a table.)

"Morning, Scorpius," she returned.

"Where's everyone from the party?" Rose asked.

"Still at the party. Knocked out, of course. But, um," she looked around the messed up room and back to Rose. "Dare I ask?"

It was then Rose remembered she'd nearly ripped off the dress before passing out a second time, therefore was clad only in her white bra and matching underwear.

Rose's cheeks turned a deep enough red to match her hair as she crossed her arms over her slightly-exposed chest. Scorpius colored slightly at this realization as well, which, had it been any other day, both girls would've marveled at. Scorpius Malfoy blushing? Impossible.

"Nothing happened," Rose blurted out, her cheeks burning. "Or…at least…I don't think anything happened…"

The room was dead silent for a split second, and that's when the panicking began.

"Rose!" Lily exclaimed, horrified at her older cousin.

"Nothing happened!" she exclaimed back, but she cinched Scorpius's wrist abruptly. "Scorpius!"

"Nothing happened!" he repeated.

"Are you sure?"

"I…" His voice trailed off.

"Oh Merlin…" Rose murmured.

Lily shook her head. "I think somebody had one drink too many…"

A pillow was promptly chucked at her face.

A/n. Written at random once it popped into my head and for pure fun, so it probably sucked. Oh well…

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